Happy holidays to everybody in the Kang Community!

Have a wonderful Winter Break; Kang Crier will return on Sunday, January 4th.

Staff Appreciation: Holiday Cookies & Cocoa Send Off

- Cookie Donations Still Needed for this Wednesday 12/17! -



We want to send our LWHS staff off to Winter Break with a nice holiday glow! We still have several sign-up slots available for treats and cookies: Please sign up here!

Questions? Contact PTSA Staff Appreciation Committee at appreciation@lwhsptsa.org

Dear Kang Families,

Last week, 194 Lake Washington High School students participated in the DECA Area 3 Competition in Bellevue—an extraordinary turnout that speaks to both their ambition and their commitment. I had the privilege of spending the day alongside our dedicated staff advisors and parent chaperones, and it was inspiring to watch our students move through the competition with such professionalism, confidence, and preparation. Their excellence reflects the focus they bring to their daily coursework, the time they invest in studying, and the support they receive from you at home.

We are entering a season of planning and possibility. Registration for the 2025–26 school year is just around the corner, and it brings with it the exciting work of imagining what’s next. Over the coming weeks, students will engage in lessons, presentations, and counselor-led sessions designed to help them understand graduation requirements, explore course offerings, and make thoughtful decisions aligned with their interests and goals.

Families play an essential role in these conversations. I encourage you to review our soon-to-be updated registration website and the 2026-27 course catalog, where you’ll find detailed course information worksheets, videos, timelines, and answers to common questions. 

Another way we are planning for our next school year is through consideration of our future bell schedule. As it stands now, we will continue with our current bell schedule for the second semester of this year. Staff took our student preferences into consideration and voted to maintain the schedule, while focusing on changes to our semester finals schedule to better align with past practice. We are grateful to have the opportunity to make decisions that are best for our community and excited to move forward. 

Our parents have been a fantastic support this year, in so many ways. Thank you to each of you who have been involved in supporting Lake Washington High School students and staff. Our focus for Kang Coffee Hour this week is registration and four-year plans. Members of our counseling team will be present to guide discussion and answer questions. We hope to see you all there!

As always, thank you for your partnership. Together, we will continue to elevate excellence.

Wishing you and your families a restful holiday season and winter break,

Dr. Christine Bell

Principal, Lake Washington High School

Updates from the Counseling Office

As we head into the final stretch of 2025, our counseling team has important updates to help students and families feel prepared and supported.

Winter Break is right around the corner! We hope everyone finds time to rest, recharge, and enjoy the holiday season.  Once we return in January, counselors will begin the 2026-2027 course registration process. Please keep an eye out for timelines and resources. We are excited to work with our students to plan and prepare for next school year.

Running Start Information Session

Counselors will be hosting a Running Start Info session for any interested 10th and 11th graders on Friday, January 9th during Homeroom. If a student is interested in doing Running Start next year, or have any questions about Running Start, please make sure to sign up in FlexiSched to attend.

Supporting Our Seniors

Our team continues to work closely with the Class of 2026 as they finalize applications, scholarships, FAFSA/WAFSA forms, and post-secondary plans. Seniors who still need assistance are encouraged to reach out. We are here to help them finish strong.

Future Freshman Night — January 14

We’re excited to welcome our rising 9th graders and their families to Future Freshman Night on January 14th. This event is designed to introduce students to high school life, course options, extracurriculars, and key supports available through our counseling department. We look forward to meeting the Class of 2030!

College & Career Center Updates

College Success Foundation Scholarships

The CSF scholarships are open. From leadership, identity, or needs based, CSF has a host of Washington State for specific scholarships for students. Browse them here: College Success Foundation

Financial Aid

Have you completed the FAFSA or WASFA? Even if you think the FAFSA or WASFA isn't for you or your family, it's still worth filling out. Many scholarships require a Student Aid Index number assigned to students by FAFSA for financial aid purposes. If you are unsure whether to complete the FAFSA or the WASFA, or have general questions or concerns, you can find Financial Aid Videos on the College and Career Center Website. If you still have more questions, LWSD High Schools are collaborating with the College Success Foundation to host a Financial Aid Night Webinar. Join us on Wednesday, January 14^th at 6:30pm, for a webinar info session and Q&A with a Financial Aid Expert from the CSF. Watch this space for updates as the date for this event nears. 

College and Career Scholarship Calendar

Did you know we have a Scholarship Calendar on the first page of our website? You can find deadline dates, descriptions, and application instructions for hundreds of scholarships here: College & Career - Lake Washington High School

Homework Cafe

Homework Cafe is open in the College & Career Center on Mondays and Thursdays, from 3:20-4:00pm. Tutor focus subject areas are Math and Science on Mondays, English and Social Studies on Thursdays. We hope to see you there, over a hot mug of coffee or tea.

Questions? Contact Alex Clark-McGlenn in the College & Career Center! 

PTSA Grant Recipients

Did you know that our LWHS PTSA invests over $35,000 annually in our students in the way of grants for classroom projects, clubs, and enrichment programs?! Thanks to your Pass the Pouch donations this year, we have awarded grants to the clubs and programs listed below. It’s not too late to donate to PTSA to fund and support even more student and teacher programs! Our Grants Committee will be meeting again in the new year to award another round of grant funding.

Congratulations to the following LW PTSA Grant recipients:

• The Art and CTE Departments - funds for studio lamps, a rolling cart organizational system, and other durable visual arts supplies that will enhance the learning experiences and aid classroom organization for the 600+ students who take these classes each year.
• The Technology Student Association (TSA) Club - funds for supplies for the student teams participating in the Robotics Challenge, Systems Control Technology, and Drones programs; providing hands-on tools and opportunities to explore STEM fields and develop technical and personal skills.
• The LWHS Marching Kangs - funding for a brand-new sousaphone for the brand-new marching band; contributing to the overall sound of the band and the support the band gives to school sports teams and at other spirit events.
• The Speech and Debate Team - funding to participate in tournaments that support the development of skills in public speaking, leadership, and critical thinking.
• The Donuts with Dr. Bell program - funding for a monthly event that provides the opportunity for students to share input and valuable feedback with our school principal, in order to create the best learning environment at our school.
• The College & Career Center - funds for the purchase of new furniture that will make the center a more welcoming and comfortable space for students to visit and gather during lunch and study breaks. This will also support the new Homework Café peer tutoring program happening in the College & Career Center.

Thank you to our dedicated Grants Committee for their thoughtful review and recommendations to the PTSA Board! More information regarding PTSA Grants and how to apply can be found on our website. The next due dates for grant applications are Tuesday, Jan 9^th and Tues Feb 3rd. Questions can be directed to our Grants Chair at grants@lwhsptsa.org.

Free SAT/ACT Practice Tests - Register by Jan 13th!

LWHS PTSA is partnering with Princeton Review to give students the opportunity to take the SAT and ACT exams “for practice” at no cost. Students can take these practice tests any number of times and the scores from these do not go on their record.

Register by Jan 13 here: "SAT/ACT Practice Tests" section of the LHWS PTSA/Programs website. Please do not use @lwsd.org email addresses to register for this event. 

Students take the tests online from Jan 17 to Feb 15, at any convenient time.

Note: If your student has taken an earlier practice test, they can take it again; however, please note that the set of questions will be the same.

Questions? Contact Julie Jiang, LWHS PTSA SAT/ACT Practice Test Chair

CEW Wishes You a Wonderful Winter Break!

We’ll be back for zoom sessions and will continue to offer CEW Offline through January, please encourage your student to make the most of these resources!

Zoom sign up HERE.